Duke Lenoir’s expression became peculiar.

“Madam Elisabeth, do you realize what you’re saying right now?”

I continued without any hesitation.

“People think the young lady Florence and I are unrelated, but that’s not true. That woman has been having an affair with my husband, Felix de Tolomiès, for a long time.”

The duke’s eyes widened.

“Not only that, my husband even brought that woman to stay in our guesthouse. Now both of them are my enemies.”

I continued calmly.

“And to Your Grace, both Count Tolomiès and Baron Florence are troublesome existences you’d like to get rid of immediately.”

Just moments ago, Duke Lenoir had interrogated me with a chilling expression, but he didn’t deny at least one fact.

That the information I had passed to the solver’s office had been immensely helpful to him.

“Isn’t this reason enough for us to join hands?”

A strange light flashed in the duke’s red eyes.

“You have quite the nerve, Madam Elisabeth. What if I don’t take your hand and instead spread your husband’s scandal throughout society?”

“You could do that.”

Indeed, this man could immediately reveal Count Tolomiès and Julia Florence’s affair to everyone.

If that happened, the Tolomiès family would face enormous dishonor.

But it didn’t matter.

‘So what? It’s not even a lie, is it?’

Even if such a thing were to happen, what would be damaged is the honor of ‘Count Tolomiès’, not the honor of the ‘Countess’.

Even if Felix’s infidelity became known to the world, I, as the count’s legal wife, would initially receive sympathy.

It wouldn’t be pleasant to be the subject of people’s gossip, but the image of ‘the poor countess who lost her husband to a mistress’ was also a weapon I could use in my own way.

Moreover, I was confident that Duke Lenoir would not do such a thing.

“But if that happens, I will no longer pass on the Tolomiès family’s secrets to outsiders. Nor will I interfere with Baron Florence’s business. Right now, I’m the only one in Elendril who can do that…”

I asked with a cunning smile.

“Are you going to cut open the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs?”

The duke’s gaze fixed on my face. It was an intensity that was almost chilling, but I didn’t back down easily.

After a moment, a faint smile spread across the duke’s lips.

“Very well.”

He agreed with an interested expression.

“I’m not sure exactly what you’re plotting, but if it’s something that can bring down Count Tolomiès, I’ll help you as much as I can from now on. As a bonus, I’ll take care of Baron Florence’s daughter as well.”

Duke Lenoir had traditionally been at odds with Count Tolomiès. It was so in my first life and in my second life as well.

So he could never refuse my offer. It was an opportunity to draw the enemy’s closest confidant to his side.

“In return, from now on, please pass the Tolomiès family’s secrets directly to me, not to the office.”

“Understood.”

Duke Lenoir extended his hand to me.

Instead of placing my hand on top of his, I grasped his firm hand and shook it vigorously. It was a handshake shared between partners in revenge.

“Then I look forward to working with you, Your Grace.”

Suddenly, Duke Lenoir muttered with a mischievous expression.

“Leopold.”

I blinked. His face was filled with playfulness.

“It’s my name.”

He lifted the hand that had been shaking mine and brought it close to his lips.

A soft kissing sound was heard. It wasn’t a kiss touching the back of the hand, but a kiss made to the air.

I smiled gently.

“We could make good partners.”

“Certainly better than dance partners.”

Duke Lenoir murmured.

Ch2. My Place in Your Life

After making a contract with the duke, I returned home with all the jewelry boxes. It had been a day where I had safely achieved my goal.

Of course, pleasant things didn’t keep happening.

“Felix, what on earth is this about? You said it yourself! That there wasn’t a single fake among the Tolomiès family jewels!”

Just as I arrived at the entrance, a shrill voice was heard from the direction of the guesthouse. It was the sound of Julia berating her lover.

“Well, I don’t know every single piece of jewelry in detail…”

“If you don’t know, who does! It wasn’t just one or two, almost all of them were fake! How could this happen?”

Julia was practically wailing. Her voice was so loud it could be heard throughout the entire building.

“Did you see people’s faces? They were openly mocking me. The presentation my father entrusted to me was a complete failure! How am I supposed to show my face in society from now on?”

I inwardly clicked my tongue.

Logically, she shouldn’t have even thought about displaying someone else’s belongings at a business presentation bearing her family name.

Of course, Julia Florence wasn’t a woman who followed common sense. If she were, she wouldn’t have boldly entered someone else’s guesthouse like that.

I quietly entered the house, avoiding being seen by the two of them. And I deliberately avoided encountering Felix until evening.

Finally, that evening, Felix abruptly asked me.

“Darling. What happened to the jewels in the safe?”

It was the question I had been waiting for. I tilted my head and asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Strasser’s jewels. Why are there such cheap items in our safe? Such things are not befitting the dignity of a noble.”

Strasser’s jewels were recently becoming popular even in the royal court through word of mouth. If he said such things in an official setting, he would instantly offend the sensibilities of the higher-ups.

However, I didn’t bother to correct Felix’s mistake.

“Oh, those. I heard they were popular among the ladies recently, so I decided to buy some. The price was just right too.”

“Why would someone of your status buy such things? If you were going to buy, you should have checked properly and bought genuine ones.”

“I was going to…”

I casually opened a leather notebook I had prepared in advance and showed it to him. It was part of the ledger recording household expenses.

“As you can see, we’ve spent so much on furnishing the guesthouse that there’s not enough for other expenses. We need to set aside funds to hire new maids as you requested… I needed jewelry to wear to tea parties, but there was no money… I had no choice.”

Felix frowned as he looked down at the notebook.

“Then you should have at least organized them properly. They get mixed up with the real jewels.”

His voice was much softer than before.

I pretended to be surprised and asked.

“Were they not organized well?”

Before Felix could say anything more, I quickly took the initiative.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t organize the safe by myself, and because all the maids were taken to the guesthouse, there wasn’t enough help. I couldn’t properly organize things.”

I mumbled with a gloomy expression.

“I deliberately put it off so as not to cause you trouble… Did something go wrong because of me?”

Felix looked at me with narrowed brows.

After a moment, he sighed, running his hand through his bangs.

“No, it’s fine.”

He closed the notebook as if there was nothing more to see.

“Anyway, don’t buy such fake jewels from now on. If you really must buy them, consult with me first. It’s true that our expenses have increased recently, but we’re not that poor.”

“Yes. I understand.”

I answered obediently.

Felix didn’t press me any further.

Perhaps he had no more grounds to scold me. On the surface, Julia Florence’s humiliation had nothing to do with me.

He put down his fork with a clatter and stood up from his seat.

“Aren’t you going to eat dinner?”

“I already ate. You eat alone.”

I didn’t try to stop him as he left the dining room.

It had been such a long day.

I sighed and put down my fork. I was hungry, but I had no appetite at all.

‘How long will I have to live like this?’

I knew it was a necessary process. Still, it was hard to suppress my rising anger and act like a good wife.

As I stared into space with a low mood, suddenly the dining room door opened.

“My lady.”

“Marie, what is it?”

Felix had sent away all the servants who were attending to the meal before he interrogated me. Therefore, the only ones left in the dining room now were Marie and me.

Marie looked around and then took something out of her bosom.

“A letter has arrived.”

“Who is it from?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t even tell me the sender’s name and left right away. They said you would know as soon as you saw it…”

I opened the letter Marie handed me.

「Your emerald is in my secret safe. Next time we meet, I will properly give you a token as well. Until then, let this letter be a token of our promise.

I look forward to the day we shake hands again.

−Leopold.」

At the bottom, Duke Lenoir’s name was written in elegant cursive.

I burst out laughing.

Strangely enough, holding that letter in my hand gave me strength.

It seemed that there was at least one person who knew about the human ‘Claire Elisabeth’, not just the kind and innocent ‘Countess Tolomiès’.

“Marie. Bring the next course.”

I swallowed the fish dish. I also made sure to chew thoroughly the meat that came next.

Now was the time to eat well and regain my strength.